Process of making whisky



(No Model.)

M. J. ALLEN 81; W. B. BRADLEY.

PROCESS OF MAKING WHI'sK'Y.

'No. 263,087. Patented A .22, 1882.

UNITED STATES PATEFNITL OFFICE.

MARSHALL J. ALLEN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AND WILLIAM E. BRADLEY, OFFRANKFORT, KENTUCKY.

PROCESS OF MAKING WHISKY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 263,087, dated August22, 18 82.

Application filed April 29, 1882. (N model.)

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that we, MARSHALL J. ALLEN, of thecity, county, and State ofNewYork,and WILLIAM E. BRADLEY, of the city of Frankfort, county ofFranklin, State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Improvementin the Process of lliaking'whisky, of which the following is aspecification.

The object of our invention isto increase the yield of whisky from agiven amount of grain by utilizing in subsequent processes the refuseproducts of previous processes, and this we do by first preparing therefuse product and bringing it into a condition in which it 1 may beadvantageously-used; and, secondly, by introducing such prepared productinto the subsequent processes of whisky-making.

In all those methods of making whisky in which the entire grainintroduced passes through the entire process and is delivered as arefuse product at the end of the operation The sheet of drawings heretoannexed rep resents a general View of a part of a-distillery 3 5arranged for the practice of our improved process. We do not limitourselves, however, to the special apparatus for carrying out theprocess, but show one form of apparatus by which it may be carried intoeffect. We shall not go into detail in the description of thisapparatus, as the arrangement will be easily understood by thoseacquainted with the art.

In the drawing,A represents the mash-tubs B, the mill-hoppers; (J, themillstones D, the beer-still; E, low-wines receiver; F, doublerstill G,beer heater and charger; H, lowwines charger for doubling-still; I,doublingstill, condenser, and flake-stand J, beer-still I K,fermenting-vats; L, whisky-receiver; M, hot-slop or spent-beer receiver;N, hot-slop connection with our improved process.

It is well known that the spent beer contains in suspension, in thefirst place, a considerable amount of refuse material of comparativelarge size-such as the chaff, bran, and larger particles of grainand, inthe second place, minute particles of sugar or glucose, starch, andyeast. This second class of parti- 7o cles it is very important topreserve and introduceinto the subsequent operations of whisky-making.This second class of particles are so minute as that they will passthrough the meshes of a fine sieve, and yet are sufticiently solid andseparate from the liquid to form a deposit in any vessel in which theliquid may remain at rest. The purpose of our invention is to retainthese fine or valuable particles in the liquid which is to be returned,I

and to separate from this liquid the coarse or refuse particles, whileat the same time the liquid is maintained in a sweet condition.

In carrying out our process practically in connection with what is knownas the sweetmash process? for making whisky, also in the sour-mashprocess, where the mashing is done in large mash-tubs by machinery, weproceed as follows: The slop or spent beer, as it is blown from thestill, is run through a strain- 0 ing apparatus similar to thebolting-machine in a flour-mill, provided with a copper-wirestraining-cloth of about thirty wires to the inch. The thick portionstrained out is rejected, and may be used as food for cattle, and 5 theliquid portion is run through a. coil in a tank of cold water or someequivalent apparatus. In this way it is rapidly cooled from atemperature near the boiling-point down to a 'point as low as the waterwill produce. It ICO 4 should be below 80 for the best results of ourprocess that all of the sugar, starch, and yeast particles be returnedwith the spent beer and utilized in the subsequent operation of makingwhisky. Having somechanically strained or filtered and cooled our spentbeer, we add this cold slop to the liquid in the mash-tub at the end ofthe mashing for the purpose of cooling and thinning down the mash, andwhen the mash is run into the fermenting-vats we also use the cold thinslop or spent beer to complete the filling up of the fermenters, insteadof water.

' In practice we usually run the requisite quantity of slop into thefermenting-vats before the mash is let down, and we also use the coldthin slop to wash out the mash-tubs; and this slop, with the productsremaining in the mashtubs, is likewise passed into the fermenters. Inother words, we aim to introduce into the operation all of the thin sloppossible. We utilize the cold slop instead of water in thinning down themash, and also in filling up the fermenters, as previously described. Wefind, asthe result of this process, a greatly-increased yield; which wecannot obtain in any other way known to us.

The special points to be observed in carrying out our processsuccessfully are, first, the sieving out or separation by mechanicalmeans, preferably an ordinary sieve, of the coarse or refuse particles;secondly, the cooling of the slop or spent beer quickly by suitablemeans in order to prevent the increase and accumulation of acid in thesame; and, thirdly, the returning of this slop, together with thevaluable particles which it contains, and its utilization in thesubsequent processes of whisky-makin g.

We are aware that the broad idea of utilizin g the spent beeris old;but, so far as we know, it has always been done in one of the followingways: Either no separation of the chaff from the spent beer at the endof the process has been attempted, in which case the return of the spentbeer, together with the chaff which it contains, will soon prevent thesuccessful operation of the process; or, second, the spent beer has beenallowed to stand and settle at the end of the process, and no attempt insuch case has 5 been made to return in subsequent processes the process;but the bulkier particles of grain have been stopped somewherein theprocess of manufacture. This process produces a low yield and cannot beadvantageouslypracticed. Reference is made to a treatise on theMannfacture and Distillation of Alcoholic Liquors, by Duplais, publishedin Philadelphia by Henry Carey Baird, 1871, for a fuller description ofsome of the above processes, which will be found on pages 144: to 159.

We are also aware that ithas been proposed to remove the coarseparticles of spent beer by straining, preliminary to a treatment withsulphuric acid to recover glucose, to be used in subsequent operations-acomplex treatment compared to that which we adopt, which is purelymechanical in its nature.

Wehave found that by the separation of some of the waste particlesmechanically the delay and resulting diseased fermentations occur-' ringwhen the liquor is clarified by allowing such particles to settle bygravity are avoided, and by agitating the liquor the valuable particlesare put in suspension, so as to be carried with the liquor and beutilized.

It is obvious that, though we have shown certain means for carrying outour processes in connection with known processes of whiskymanufacture,yet our process might be carried out by other apparatus than that shownor in modified methods of manufacture without substantially departingfrom the spirit of our invention. Thus, for instance, the refuseportions might be sieved out before distillation, and, provided the slopwas rapidly cooled and immediately after leaving the still returned tobe used in the main process, while still containing the valuableproducts, some of the advantages would still be obtained, but in a lessdegree than by the method shown. The rapid cooling of the slop and itsutilization in subsequent processes might also be practiced toa limitedextent even if it were not strained; but of course the return of theunstrained slop would soon clog the process.

We do not here claim the saving of the sugar, starch, and yeast of spentbeer by first freeing the latter of its coarser particles by mechanicalmeans, maintaining the useful particles in suspension, and then usingthis slop,

with its su'spendedingredients,in a fresh mash, as this forms thesubject of a separate application for Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, of which this is a division; but

We claim- 1. Inj the manufacture of whisky, the process described,consisting in rapidly cooling spent beer and then mixing the slop withfresh material for subsequent fermentation, substantially as set forth.

2. In the manufacture of whisky, the pro cess of saving the sugar,starch, and yeast contained in spent beer, which consists in freeingsuch spent beer before permitting it to cool by mechanical means-such assieving of the bran, chaff, and other coarse waste particles-= rapidlycooling the thin slop, and then adding the same to and mixing it withfresh material for subsequent fermentation, substantially as set forth.

3. In the manufacture of whisky, the process of saving the sugar,starch, and yeast contained in spent beer and utilizing the same,

which consistsin freeing the spent beer of the bra-n, chaff, and othercoarse particles, rapidly cooling the slop, and then mixing the thinslop thus obtained with fresh mash, substantially as described.

' 4. In the manufacture of whisky, the mode of saving the sugar, starch,and yeast contained in a spent beer and in using the same, whichconsists in freeing the spent beer of coarse particles by mechanicalmeans-such as a sieve-of rapidly cooling this thin slop, of causing suchan agitation of .the slop as will

